Diplomatic Immunity
Quest progression Objectives: *Meet Delphine in Riverwood. *Meet Malborn in Solitude. *The Dragonborn gives Malborn their equipment. *Meet Delphine at Katla's Farm in Solitude. *Create a distraction and get away from the party. *(Optional) Retrieve the Dragonborn's gear. *Search for information about the Dragons returning. *Escape the Thalmor Embassy. *Talk to Delphine. Background It seems that things are worse than even Delphine thought. Dragons aren't just coming back to life, they're being resurrected by other dragons. Delphine suspects that the Thalmor might be bringing dragons back for some sinister purpose. She's going to help me infiltrate the Thalmor ambassador's manor and find out what they know about the dragons. I should meet with her contact, Malborn, in the Winking Skeever Inn in Solitude. Walkthrough Meeting Malborn Delphine thinks that the Thalmor know something about the dragons' return to Skyrim. She has a plan to get the Dragonborn into the Thalmor embassy, to gain access to their secret documents in an attempt to find out more about the situation at hand. She will acquire a legitimate invitation to a reception being held by the Thalmor ambassador, Elenwen. Find the Bosmer, Malborn, at the Winking Skeever tavern in Solitude. When arriving, Malborn will agree to smuggle some equipment into the back-rooms. Malborn can bring an unlimited amount of gear with him, while the only gear the Dragonborn will have during the beginning of the mission will be what has been given to Malborn. You only have one chance to give him gear. You cannot give him anything else once the trade dialogue closes, and remember you cannot take anything inside; give it to Malborn. Note: The dragonborn should take a few lockpicks, since there will be locks to pick. Afterwards, the Dragonborn will meet with Delphine at the Solitude stables at Katla's farm to pick up their invitation and party disguise, and then drop off everything else on hand with Delphine; everything given to her will be stored safely until reclaimed after the mission. Delphine will store the inventory in a chest in her office in the Sleeping Giant Inn, in Riverwood. Once inside the party, the Dragonborn will be approached by ambassador Elenwen and will become engaged in conversation. Malborn interrupts the conversation, causing the ambassador to walk off. The Dragonborn then has the opportunity to speak with Malborn and ask him for a drink. Distract the Party Guests arrives at Elenwen's party.]] Ambassador Elenwen greets the Dragonborn upon entering the Thalmor Embassy. After speaking with her, the Dragonborn will need to create an opening to slip out of the party; tell Malborn when ready, and he'll wait by the door behind the bar for the Dragonborn's next move: *If Razelan is talked to, (he's on the bench nearest to Malborn) he'll ask for a drink. Malborn can conveniently provide the Dragonborn with a Colovian Brandy to give to Razelan, who then offers to do the Dragonborn a favor in return. Getting a drink from the Wood Elf servant, Brelas, and giving it to Razelan will also work. Tell him to cause a scene, and he will make a grandiose announcement, causing a distraction. *Alternatively, if the Dragonborn is acquainted with Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone and has previously assisted her, she may be asked to cause a distraction, as "an old woman can get away with anything". She will then begin harassing Razelan and making a scene, providing the necessary cover. *Another option is to overhear Erikur trying to flirt with the Bosmer servant Brelas, unsuccessfully. Speaking with Erikur afterward will make him mention his weakness for Bosmer women, and the Dragonborn can therefore offer to speak with her on his behalf. Speaking to Brelas reveals her dislike for guests like Erikur and asks that he be persuaded to leave her alone. Speak to Erikur once again, and any speech option chosen will cause Erikur to lose his temper and causes a scene. *If on good terms with Ondolemar, the Dragonborn may ask him to make a distraction (after a persuasion check) where he begins accusing Razelan of insulting the Thalmor. *If the Dragonborn has a higher speechcraft skill and Vittoria Vici is there, she can be persuaded to cause a distraction. *If the quest for Orthus Endario has been completed, the Dragonborn may ask him to make a distraction, in which he will accuse Razelan of insulting the Thalmor. *If the Dragonborn has become the leader of the Thieves Guild, then the Dragonborn may request Maven Black-Briar to cause a distraction. *Other people the Dragonborn has done favors for might be in attendance, including other jarls. Some might be persuaded to make a distraction. This distraction, like that caused by Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone, will likely involve making a scene at Razelan's expense. This has been observed with Igmund and Elisif the Fair, among others. Once there's an opening, run to the door behind the bar and follow Malborn. Proceed through the kitchen to a pantry, retrieve the smuggled equipment from a chest, and go through a door into the next hallway. Malborn will lock the door behind the Dragonborn, completing this phase of the mission. Thalmor espionage As Malborn locks the door, look through a doorway to the left and overhear two Thalmor agents chatting at a bar. Behind the bar are stairs leading up to a Thalmor Wizard. Kill them (or wait for them to move out of the way and sneak past them), and then either go through the ground floor exit or turn left at the top of the stairs. Kill or sneak around the mage, and then turn left again to enter a room with access to a second floor exit. This will open to an exterior area with more enemies to kill or avoid. The two guards can be avoided, but a mage guards the door and will alert the guards if he is attacked. If a general alarm is raised, additional guards will come from the barracks. Once clear, enter the only door into the ambassador's offices (Elenwen's Solar). A Dragonborn that is an Altmer and is wearing hooded Thalmor robes may walk past all the guards without incident. Walking is essential, as immediately running, even as an Altmer and wearing Thalmor robes will cause the guards to become hostile. Even if the Dragonborn is an Altmer, the Thalmor wizard at the door to the Solar will ask why they are not at their post. At this point, the option to persuade the wizard that Elenwyn wants to see them inside becomes available. If this persuasion is successful, the wizard will say to "take his post" and say not to let anyone in, at which point he should leave the area but appears to stay where he is. Either way, once inside the Solar, any disguise will no longer work and everyone inside will become hostile on sight. Inside, either kill everyone or sneak over to the chest the quest arrow is pointing to, and grab the needed items. Read the documents taken to activate the next arrow. If Rulindil and/or Gissur are not killed, they will have to be fought later (when exiting the Embassy, and in a follow-up quest in the Ratway, respectively). There are some locked display cases in Rulindil's office, containing two elven daggers, a gold and ruby circlet, and a gold and emerald circlet. After recovering the quest items from the offices, the quest arrow will lead down into the dungeon, where Etienne Rarnisis being kept captive. If Rulindil was killed in his office, the only other person in the dungeon will be a guard patrolling outside the cells. If Rulindil was allowed to walk down the stairs, he will also be there, sitting at a desk (taking notes) while the guard tortures the prisoner. Information about Esbern is needed to proceed. This can be done in three ways: *Pretend to be an interrogator and order the prisoner to repeat what he told the Thalmor. *Release the prisoner and ask if he has any useful information. *Open the chest and read the documents inside. Whichever method is used, learning about Esbern triggers a scripted event leading to the next stage of the quest. The Escape After the Dragonborn learns about Esbern, two Thalmor guards will enter the dungeon with Malborn in custody; his cover blown. The guards hold the key to the trapdoor, so they have to be killed. Once through the trapdoor, a frost troll will be waiting, as well as any followers that might have been left before entering the party. Under the stone ledge is a necromancer's body, an Illusion Skill Book : Before the Ages of Man, a Stone of Barenziah, and some extra loot. *The Stone is only under the ledge in Patch 1.4 or later. Exiting the cave will allow seeing off anyone that was saved (they don't seem very interested in talking). Return to Riverwood to reclaim any gear from Delphine's chest. If Etienne survived, he can later be found in Riften among the Thieves Guild. Trivia *If Malborn escapes, he can later be found in Windhelm, in the Gray Quarter bar. He offers a quest to the player to Find the Thalmor Assassin that the Thalmor sent after him for his treachery. *If the embassy is returned to following this quest, the gates will be able to be opened through normal lockpicking, whereas before the quest they required a key to open. However, the embassy building itself will be locked and requires a key. *There are Thalmor robes in a room near the kitchen which will act as a disguise, making it easier to sneak around. Imperials, Bretons, Nords and Redguards can avoid detection at a distance, Dunmer and Bosmer can get closer, and Altmer can stroll around without question. This only works if no weapons, spells, amulets/necklaces, or rings are equipped. It does not work for Khajiit, Orcs, and Argonians regardless of any other circumstances-they're just too different from Altmer. *A dragon may attack the courtyard and be beneficial in distracting the Thalmor soldiers. However, it may appear immediately after exiting the cave, thus adding a considerable challenge in keeping Malborn, Ettienne and Brelas alive (they will attack it unarmed). *Regardless of race (even if an Altmer), if a vampire, no one will believe the disguise and will attack on sight. *Characters outside of the quest will talk about the party. At least one will mention "I heard some (the Dovahkiin's race) ruined the party." *If Maven Black-Briar has been talked to previously and is talked to during the party, she will say to refrain from talking to her unless the Dragonborn wants her to blow their cover. (She does this even if she hasn't been spoken to before.) *Although Ondolemar is in the party, if the Miscellaneous quest of giving him Ogmund's Amulet of Talos isn't completed before the quest, it can't be completed during the party. * People who provide distraction options (Aside from Razelan himself and Erikur) will always make a scene about humiliating Razelan. * A dragon may appear right after giving your equipment to Delphine. This may prove a challenge as the player will have no weapons or armour - asides from Quest Items (e.g. '''Ulfric's War Axe) - '''and cannot speak to Delphine and board the carriage for the party until the dragon is dealt with. Bugs Appearances * Achievements |trophy = }} de:Diplomatische Immunität ru:Дипломатическая Неприкосновенность References